Ikey

Couple of middle aged kiwis flying into Charles de Gaulle. We are going to
DD landing beaches then looking to travel to central and southern France
(wine regoin, away from the cities). Is it best to hire a car or travel via
train, is the latter too restrictive. Also appreciate recommendations as to
best ideas on accommodation. Do they have B&B's or equivalent in France?

Thanks
[email protected]

Jos? R.

For accomodation take a look at:

http://www.francetourism.com/practic...mmodations.htm
http://www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/index.htm


ikey escribió:
    > Couple of middle aged kiwis flying into Charles de Gaulle. We are going to
    > DD landing beaches then looking to travel to central and southern France
    > (wine regoin, away from the cities). Is it best to hire a car or travel via
    > train, is the latter too restrictive. Also appreciate recommendations as to
    > best ideas on accommodation. Do they have B&B's or equivalent in France?
    >
    > Thanks
    > [email protected]
    >
    >
    >

Runge

There are a few equivalents to BB's but not so developed as in anglo saxon
countries.(try a research with chambres d'hôtes)
Many cheap hotels if you have a car: look at the Accor chain for example
If you travel by train, then you'll have to put up with downtown hotels
which could be acceptable if you plan a little...depends on the season.
But accordong to the places you want to visit, a car would be easier

When are U leaving and where would you like to go?


"ikey" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de
news:[email protected]...
    > Couple of middle aged kiwis flying into Charles de Gaulle. We are going to
    > DD landing beaches then looking to travel to central and southern France
    > (wine regoin, away from the cities). Is it best to hire a car or travel
via
    > train, is the latter too restrictive. Also appreciate recommendations as
to
    > best ideas on accommodation. Do they have B&B's or equivalent in France?
    > Thanks
    > [email protected]

nitram

On Sun, 15 Aug 2004 12:29:08 +0200, "Runge" <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >There are a few equivalents to BB's but not so developed as in anglo saxon
    >countries.(try a research with chambres d'hôtes)
    >Many cheap hotels if you have a car: look at the Accor chain for example
    >If you travel by train, then you'll have to put up with downtown hotels
    >which could be acceptable if you plan a little...depends on the season.
    >But accordong to the places you want to visit, a car would be easier

Claiming to be visiting a local large company is sometimes good for a
50% discount.

Nige

At least without a car, it's possible to relax? Or is it? I think any travel of this nature does depend on whether you are happy to TRAVEL LIGHT. If you are able to be skimpy on your belongings then I would favour train journies. Using Paris as the hub, it's easy to get to either Caen or Bayeux. And then stay in a local place and travel out to the beaches. If you choose Bayeux, then day tours can be organised simply. www.normandywebguide.com
Then returning to Paris you can think of heading for Dijon on the fast rail TGV in order to explore the Cote d'Or further south. If you enjoy walking the Cote d'Or from say Fixin down south through Gevrey Chambartin, Vougeot, vosne Romanee to Nuits St Georges will show you some of the finest burgundy vineyards.
Then there is Bordeaux ! A train from Paris to Bordeaux followed by a relaxing visit including a vineyard tour or two. http://www.bordeaux-tourisme.com/uk/...ecouverte.html
And maybe on the way back, stop at the Loire valley and organise a base from which to tour the chateaux?
On the SNCF website, it's possible to book up in advance or even buy some last minute tickets cheaply. If you can book at least 14 days in advance and pay for your tickets online, then you could each travel down to Dijon on the TGV for Euros 50 return. Saves that slog on the toll road. Similar advance booking fares available to Bordeaux and other cities. And if you are over 60 you can get a senior discount.

JX Bardant

    > Is it best to hire a car or travel via
    > train, is the latter too restrictive.

Since you aim to avoid the cities, car is definitely the solution...

    > Also appreciate recommendations as to
    > best ideas on accommodation. Do they have B&B's or equivalent in France?

You could try to find something named "gîte rural" (pl. "gîtes ruraux").
It's bed and breakfast in the countryside.

http://www.gites-de-france.fr/fr/index.htm
http://www.france-gites.com/ (only in french)

Gg

"ikey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Couple of middle aged kiwis flying into Charles de Gaulle. We are going to
    > DD landing beaches then looking to travel to central and southern France
    > (wine regoin, away from the cities). Is it best to hire a car or travel
via
    > train, is the latter too restrictive. Also appreciate recommendations as
to
    > best ideas on accommodation. Do they have B&B's or equivalent in France?
    > Thanks
    > [email protected]
We have had wonderful luck in rural and small-town France finding
B&B/chambre d'hôte accommodations through local tourist offices. All our
wanderings have been by car, and not during high season. We've stayed on a
lavender/herb farm in Provence, on a small dairy farm near Honfleur, in a
restored outbuilding of a farm near Mont-St.-Michel with a view of the Mont
from the terrace, and in a vineyard near Bourgeuil. All were arranged on
the day of arrival through the local TO, and all were very moderately
priced. We've never had a complaint about the bedding or bathroom
facilities, and the people who offer these rooms have been warm and open. I
very much value the opportunities I've had to visit people as well as
museums, cathedrals and chateaux.
Bon voyage!
GG

Agena 2003

non-smoking restaurants in France
http://smokefreeplaces.net/en/FR//

Mark Fagan

As they do mention elsewhere, a b&b in France is called a Chambre d'Hôte.
You can get a list from the local Office de Tourisme or Syndicate
d'Initiative in the towns. Or just keep your eyes open. Or ask in a café.
There is also self-catering accomodation, a gîte. You can book these
through www.gites-de-france.fr. I suggest you go to
http://www.jack-travel.com/Normandy/..._Main_Page.htm for a lot of
information on sights, accomodations and food (his recommendations are
always good).

Personally, I'd go for the flexibility of the car, but it does raise stress
levels when navigating through unfamilar areas, especially cities. I'm
thinking about getting a portable GPS system I can take with me for our next
trip. I'm not sure how available they are from rental car companies.

"ikey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Couple of middle aged kiwis flying into Charles de Gaulle. We are going to
    > DD landing beaches then looking to travel to central and southern France
    > (wine regoin, away from the cities). Is it best to hire a car or travel
via
    > train, is the latter too restrictive. Also appreciate recommendations as
to
    > best ideas on accommodation. Do they have B&B's or equivalent in France?
    > Thanks
    > [email protected]